The Importance of the Romantic Age in Literature (Essay Sample)

In old British literature there have been many different eras of writing that are taught in school, and they all have important messages to be shared. Some of these eras that are commonly taught are the Anglo-Saxon Period, the Medieval Period, the Renaissance Period, the Age of Reason, and the Romantic Age. All of these time periods in British literature have important messages. The most important of these time periods, if only one was to continue to be taught in high school however, is the Romantic Age.

The Romantic Age consists of many popular poets such as William Wordsworth, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, William Blake, Lord Byron, Percy Shelley, and John Keats. The reason that this is the most important time in British literature to be taught is because its message is to celebrate nature. This message is very important for young people, especially the current generation, to learn about. In the twenty-first century, everyone is so consumed by things such as the internet and cell phones that people have lost their appreciation for natural things, and natural beauty is not recognized as much as it should be.

One popular work from the Romantic Age is The Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Samuel Taylor Coleridge. This poem’s goal is to help the reader understand that there is a value to all living things by telling a story of an old mariner’s journey. Throughout the story, the marnier carries around his burden which is an albatross that he killed. When he began to notice and appreciate the ugly sea monsters around him and realized their value, he lost the albatross. This symbolized his loss of his greatest burden due to his new appreciation of the natural, living things around him. The message in this poem specifically is very important for future students who come through English class to understand. If the Romantic Age stopped being taught, so would The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, and the next generations would not get the amazing message that the poem brings. 

Other stories from the Romantic Age hold very similar messages. For example Wordsworth’s The World Is Too Much WIth Us discusses how people are so caught up in their own thoughts that they no longer appreciate the world around them. With this poem students are able to apply it to their own lives and think about how much time they truly spend thinking about nature. She Walks in Beauty written by Lord Byron discusses the importance of nature in a different way. It is about the natural beauty of a person, and it helps readers understand how a person can be beautiful on the inside despite what is shown to the world from outside appearance. The messages in stories like these are very important for today’s youth and future generations, because love of nature is being lost. 

In conclusion, while every aspect of British literature is important to study, the most important time period is the Romantic Age. It teaches people to love and appreciate nature instead of focusing on other unimportant things. If every other part of British literature was banned from being taught in high school, students would benefit the most if this is the one time period that remained. In today’s world, even children are so engrossed with unnatural things like the internet, it is extremely important that future generations read the works produced during the Romantic Age.